Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-12-08

| hucn auu as last as can safely De done, TIT
treasury department from private enterprise
and eXtraragant operations will be made
| for the purpose Of avoiding the
accumulation Of excess OF revenue. Such eX
penditure, besides the Generalization Of al
| Just conception OF public duty which II entails
1 emnlatcs recklessness not In the least con.
slstent with the ms sion Of our people or the
high aud benefcent purposes OF our goveln
| ment
| have deemed 1t my duty to bring to the
| knowledge OF my countrymen as well as 20 the
attention OF their representatives, the respon
sibility OF legislative relief, the gravity Of oul
financial situation. The failure Of the Con
gress heretofore to provide against the danger
| which IL was quite evident the very nature OF
| the difficulty must necessarily produce, caused
| condition OF financial distress anu apprchen-
| ion since their last adjournment which taxed
to the utmost all the authority and eypedents
which lay in the executive control, and these
appear now to be exhausted. IL disaster re-
suits from the continued inaction of Congress,
the responsibility must rest where II belongs.
Though the situation thus far considered Is
| fraught with danger which should be fully
realized, and though II presents features OF
wrong TO the people as well as to the country,
| II Is but a result growing out Of a perfectly
| palpable aud apparent cause, constantly repro
/ ucing the same alarming circumstances "A
congested national treasury and depleted
4
country. II needs hardly be stated that while
the present situation demands remedy we
| can only be saved from a like predicament In
| the future by the removal OF the cause. Our
| scheme Of taxation by the means of which this
| needless surplus is taken from the people aud
put into the public treasury consists OF tariff or
luty levied upon importations from abroad aud
internal reyenue taxes levied upon the con-
| sumption OF tobacco and splrltuous and malt
liquors. 1t must be considered that none Of
| these taxes relating TO things subjected 10 in-
| ternal revenue taxation are, strictly speaking,
accessory and II SO appears to be no just cause
| Of complaint to the consumers OF the articles
and there seems To be nothing 40 well able to
| bear the burden without hardship to ANY por-
| ion Of the people. But our present tarin
| avs, the various inequitablc and Illegal source
| Of unnecessary taxation, ought to be Mt once
revised and amended. These laws as their
primary and plain effect raise the price to con
| Sumers OF all articles imported and subject TO
lu,y, by precisely the sum paid for such duties
| Thus the amount Of the duty measures the tax
paid by those who purchase for use these i'm
ported articles. Many Of these things, how
ever, are raised or manufactured In our own
country, and the duties now levied upon for
rign goods aud products are called protection
TO these home manufactures, because they rem
der ii possible for those OF our people who are
manufacturers, to make the taxed articles and
ell them for price equal to that demanded
for the imported goods that have paid customs
duty So it happens that while comparatively
few use the imported articles, millions Of
our people who never use and never saw
any Of the foreign products, purehhn, ss
made 10 this country and pay for them nearly
or quite the same enhanced price which the
duty adds 10 the imported articles. Those who
bus imports pay the duty charged thereon into
the public treasury, but the great majority Of
our citizens, who buy domestic articles OF the
same class pay SUN AT least approximately
equal to this duly to the home manufacture
ers. This reference to the operation OF our
tariff laws is not made by way Of instruction
but In order that We may be constantly remind
ed Of the manner In which they impose bur
den upon those who consume domestic pro-
duets, as well as those who consume imported
articles, and thus create a tax upon all our peo-
pie. 1t Is not proposed to entirely relieve the
country of this taxation. IL must be eXten-
siyely continued US the source OF the govern
erment's income and In REIMBURSEMENT OF our
tariff, the interests Of American labor engaged
In the manufacturing should be carefully con-
sidered as well us the preservation OF our
manufacturers 1t may be called protection,
or by any other name, but relief from the hard
ships aud dangers of our present laws should
be- devised with especial precaution against
imDeriiug the eXistaucc OF our manufacture
ing interests. But this cSistance should not
mean a condition which, without regard to
the public welfare or national exigency,
must always insure the realization OF immense
profits instead Of moderately profitable re-
turns. As the volume and diversity OF our ma
tional activities increase new recruits are
added to those who desire a continuation OF
the advantages which they conceive the present
system Of tariff taxation directly affords them.
So stubbornly have all efforts to reform the
present condition been resisted by those OF our
fellow citizens thus engaged that they can
hardly complain Of the suspicion, cntertaocd
TO a certain extent, that there exists an organ
lied combination all along the line TO main
tain their advantage. We are In the midst Of
centennial celebrations. and with growing
pride we rejoice in American skill and
and ingenuity In American energy and en-
terprise. aud In the wonderful natural advan-
tages aud resources developed 10y century's-
national growth. Yet when an attempt is made
TO justify scheme which permits tax to be
laid upon every consumer in the land Tor the
benefit OF our manufacturers, quite beyond
reasonable demand for government regard,
II suits the purposes OF manufacturers In
infant industries still needing the highest and
greatest degree OF favor and care that can be
wrung from federal legislation. II is also said
that the increase In the price Of domestic man
ufactures resulting from the present tariff Is
necessary, In order that higher wages may be
paid to our workingnen employed in manufac-
turtles than are paid for what Is called pauper
labor IN Europe In all we acknowledge the
force of an argument which involves the wei
fare and liberal compensation OF our laboring
people. Our labor is honorable In the eyes OF
every American citizen and lies at the fOunda-
tion of our development, II Is entitled without
aflectation or hypocrisy TO the utmost regard
The standard Of our laborcrs' lite snoud not
be marred by that of another country less fay-
ored and they are entitled to their full share
Of our advantages BY the last census IL Is
made to appear that OF the 1882, 900 of on
population engaged In all kinds of industries,
1870, 493 are employed In agriculture; ,014 ,2'S
In professional and personal service e, 4O9,ST
OF whom are domestic servants and laborers)
while 1,Sl0,256 are employed IN trade and
transportation and 8 S37, IL are classed as EN-
ployed at manufacturing and mining. For
present purposes, however, the last number
given should be considerably reduced
without attempting to enumerate all 1t will be
conceded that there should be deducted from
those which 1t includes 315, l43 carpenters and
ioiners, 2S5,l70 milliners, dress-nakers and
scamstresses, l72, 100 blacksmiths, 1873, 1856
tailors and talloresses, 10i 900 masons, 16,24l
butchers, 10000 bakers, q, 1S plasterers and
4,SO1 manufacturing agricultural implements,
leaving 2,623 0S9 persons employed IN such
manufacturing industries as are claimed TO be
benefited In high tariff. To these the appeal
Is made To save their employment and main
tain their wages by resisting "a change. There
should be no disposition TO answer such sug-
gestions by the allegations that they are IN a
hInOuS tuOse laDoI huu
should forego an advantage In the interest OF
low prices for the majority. Their compensa-
ton as it may be affected by the operations OF
tariff laws should at all times be scrupulously
kept In view and yet with slight reflection they
will not overlook the fact that they are con-
surners with the rest, that they, too,
have their own wants and those OF their
families TO supply from their earnings and
that the prices OF the necessaries OF life
as well as the amount Of those wants
Will regulate the measure of their welfare and
comfort. but the reduction Of taxation dc
handed should be so regulated as not 10 ncces-
state or justify either the loss Of employment
by the workingman or the lcsscning Of his
wages and the profit still remaining 10 the
manufacturer A necessary readjustmeDt
should furnish no excuse for the sacrifice Of
the interests of his employers, either In their
opportunity to work or the diminlilon Of
their compensation, nor can the worker In
manufactures understand that while high
tariff is necessary TO the payment OF remuner-
itiyc wages, certainly results in a very large
Increase In the price OF nearly all so Is Of man
fractures which In almost countless forms, he
needs for the use of himself and his family.
He receives at the desk OF his employer his
wages and perhaps before he reaches his home
Is obliged In purchase for family use OF an
article which embraces his own labor TO return
in the pay the increasing price which the tariff
permits, the hard-earned compensation OF
many DAYS OF toll. The farmer and the agri
culturist, who manufactures nothing but who
navs the fnrreasp t price which the tariff